The Calling
by SirCharlieOfStaines
Summary: When Kilgarrah hears a voice that isn't Merlins, pleading to him to find them, he sets out to find where it came from. My first fanfiction inspired by series 4 episode 4 Aithusa. Hope you like it :)
1. Chapter 1

Kilgarrah turned his head slowly, craning his neck to hear the faint voice inside his head getting louder and louder. He knew it couldn't be Merlin- his master's call was like a leash around his neck; every word Merlin spoke pulled the mighty dragon closer and closer to him, yet now the dragon lay sleeping. No, it wasn't Merlin. The voice was so...soft. So who could it be...?

The old dragon was lonely. Ever since he had become the last of his kind, he spoke to no one. No voices in his head, the piercing silence causing him to explode into Merlin's mind when he first sensed the presence of a powerful being once more in the kingdom that had for so long been rid of sorcery after the ban put in place by the magic- fearing King, Uther. When Merlin first came to Camelot, it was like the long awaited reunion with a long-lost friend, though it took a while for the two to actually establish this relationship. Even when he had left Camelot, when Merlin had freed him before taking his Fathers role as the last Dragon Lord, the now familiar voice of the young Warlock frequented his mind, keeping him company when he felt alone.

But, whilst he was sleeping, he heard a new voice. It started off as a faint chant, a whisper that turned into a shout. He ignored it, imagining it to be his imagination playing a cruel trick on him. But on and on the chant continued, repeating the same thing over and over, until the voice screamed it: "_Rwyf yma. Rwyf yma. Dewch i mi_!" Kilgarrah awoke with a start- never before had he heard a voice so desperate.

But he couldn't hear Merlin. The boy was soft, the Dragon knew that, and sometimes foolish too, but compassion had always ruled his heart and it made Kilgarrah wonder why his voice wasn't in his head too, trying to find out who and where the voice was coming from. But the abscence of Merlins voice made him wonder if the voice was speaking not to anyone he could but to HIM...But HOW did it know how to talk to him; what sort of magical creature would isolate HIM for his help. The only beings ever able to locate him and talk to him were his Kin. Unless...

No. He wouldn't even think of it. The usually balanced and wise old mind was filled in confusion and doubt. His KIN. The only kin he had left now was Merlin. Uther had killed the rest. Or had he? Was it possible that he wasn't the only one left? Kilgarrah made the desicion. Speak to the voice. For all the Dragon knew, it could be the trick of a powerful sorceror. But he HAD to know. May the consequence be damned.

But before he had the chance to speak back to the voice, silence once more filled his head. The Dragon roared in frustration and anger, the fireball that followed swallowing up the trees he sat in cover of. He beat his wings once, twice, three times before lifting himself over the charred remains of the trees before flying towards Camelot. He took a deep breath, before his mind bellowed the name of the person he needed to see. "_MERLIN!"_


	2. Chapter 2

Merlin sat bolt upright in his little bedroom in the heart of Camelot. The previous day had been an endless chore for the Kings manservant, and now he was being woken up in the middle of the night by Kilgarrah roaring his name.

He lay down and tried to block the voice out, to go back to sleep- lord knows how many jobs Arthur would have for him tomorrow; he already had to be up at the crack of dawn to collect herbs for Gaius, before getting Arthur ready for the council meeting taking place soon after. Arthur, despite being one of his best friends (though the admittance of that was enough to get him put in the stocks for a week), tired Merlin out-he was not going to miss out on any more sleep, especially if it was all because the Dragon wanted to tell him more riddles.

But the roaring continued, willing him to get out of bed NOW. This caught Merlin off-guard- not once since he had become a Dragon Lord had Merlin been summoned by HIM. It was always the other way round.

He jumped out of bed, realising then that to be summoned in the middle of the night once more meant that this, whatever this was, was important. He pulled on his boots, grabbed his scarf and shrugged on his fawn coloured coat before peering around the corner to check that his adoptive father, Gaius, was still lightly snoring in his bed.

All Merlin had to do was sneak past him and he would be free to find the Dragon and discover what was so urgent that Kilgarrah couldn't manage by himself; despite being his master, Merlin knew that Kilgarrah was a very powerful being and more physically intimidating to any who wished him harm. And besides, the Dragon was hundreds of year's old- a fact that he didn't like to admit- meaning he had more practise with his magic than Merlin could ever dream of having.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Merlin began to creep through the physicians quarters with an eye trained on Gaius back, checking to make sure his guardian didn't turn around or wake up, and in concentrating on trying NOT to knock anything over, he managed to catch a large vial that was balanced precariously on the edge of the table in the middle of the room with the bag he was heaving onto his shoulder.

But a flash of gold caused time to slow enough for the warlock to grab the vial and place it gently back on the table before it smashed to the ground. He heaved a sigh...who knows how many times Arthur had called him a "clumsy idiot" with true cause? Not to mention everyone else he managed to trip over or drop something in front of?

Rolling his eyes a little at his own clumsiness, he steadied himself, before once more walking out of the room, out of the castle and into the clearing where the Kilgarrah sat waiting.

"Ah young Warlock, at last you have answered my call. I think...I think I need your help."

"My help? Haven't I given you enough help? I set you free, I let you live, what more could you want from me."

"It is not what I want, Merlin, but what you must do. You see, I was being called upon by a force not yet strong but possessing the potential to be my equal. It found me Merlin, as I found you, and now we must go find it!" the dragon finished, the low grumble he had started speaking in finishing in a growl.

Merlin looked slightly confused at the dragon's declaration; surely there was nothing as powerful as to be able to capture a slumbering dragon's attention. Unless...

..."Exactly what I thought, Merlin", Kilgarrah said, finishing the thought of the young Warlock and startling him back to clearing where they stood. "So, will you help?"

Merlin didn't even bother trying to negotiate with the dragon as he had done in the past, he just jumped onto the dragons back and they sailed into the breaking dawn.

Because if there was a powerful magical being out there who needed him, then nothing could stop him from finding it.


	3. Chapter 3

Arthur was woken when his door was ripped open by his wife, Guinevere, who stormed into the room and tried to rip off his bedclothes.

"Merlinnnnnn", Arthur moaned, turning onto his other side, shielding his eyes from the light that pierced the room through the curtain his wife yanked open. The king was revealed in his tangled bedsheets, scrabbling widely for something HEAVY to throw at his manservant for disrupting his sleep.

Just as his fingers closed around the goblet left at his bedside he registered that the figure standing before him was in fact his QUEEN.

"Guinevere!" Arthur yelled, as he jumped out of bed, chucking behind him the goblet still clutched in his hand, "what are you doing here so early?"

"Early! Arthur, the council meeting started an HOUR ago! What are you doing still in bed; we've been waiting for you?! And where's Merlin?"

Arthur looked around wildly, hoping that somehow his friend would appear suddenly in his chambers, as if by magic. But the cheeky grin that accompanied the annoying "Get up you lazy daisy" he had grown so accustomed to prodding him awake in the morning before dressing him and feeding him was nowhere to be seen.

Arthur collected all his breath being hollering through the still-open doorway "MERLIN!"

He waited; that alone was enough to send his manservant flying to his chambers, out of breath but with eyes that still glittered with glee until extra chores were given to him or things were hurled at him.

He waited.

And waited.

He sat down on his chair.

And sat there.

He couldn't get dressed by himself- Merlin knew that. At least if he was to be down at the tavern he would have got another servant to take his place. So why wasn't he here?

* * *

After the council meeting that had left the king in a worse mood than he had been when he had woken up, Arthur stormed into the physicians quarters, intent on finding Merlin and throwing him in the stocks for being late _again._ "MERLIN!", he bellowed, shoving open the door to Gaius' room. As he walked into the room, Gaius looked up from the book he was reading with a puzzled look on his face. "Sire...what are you doing here...and where is Merlin?"

"So you haven't seen him either, then. Useless idiot that he is, failed to get me up in time for my meeting. How am I meant to prove that I am worthy to be King of Camelot when I can't even get to my meetings in time?"

"Sire," Gaius cautiously interjected, "I haven't seen Merlin at all today either. I had just presumed that after getting my herbs, he would have gone straight to you, goodness knows how many times you've threatened him with the stocks if he was late again..." Gaius trailed of, noticing the Kings fists clench and unclench slowly, as if trying to regain composure.

"So...the last he was seen was probably going out of the city's grounds?" the king asked slowly, his anger fading a little to be replaced with a little apprehension.

"Yes Sire." Gaius paused a minute, being realisation dawned on his face. "Do you think that maybe..."

... "I think that Maybe Merlin could need our help." Arthur let a worried expression grace his face for a moment, before determination replaced it and he walked quickly out of the physicians chambers.

"Sire...?"Gaius called after the Kings retreating back, watching him speed down the corridor. But he didn't hear him. Instead, Arthur strode towards the stables, where he bumped into Gwaine.

"Oh noble king. Where are you going on what appears to be the most important of quests?" Gwaine mocked, bowing low before Arthur.

"Oh get out of my way _Sir_ Gwaine. I need to go."

Gwaine noticed the edge to his voice and realised that _something_ was wrong. "Arthur?" he asked, all joking aside now, "What's happened... And where's Merlin?" he added; only now realising an absence at Arthur's side.

The next words out of Arthur's mouth were worrying.

"I don't know."

Gwaine stared at him long and hard, before jolting himself out of the almost trance he seemed to be in. "Well what are we waiting for, then? Let's go find him!"

The two men then quickened their pace, running towards their horses and flinging themselves on them, before riding hard out of the gates of Camelot.


End file.
